Book Review: "Perilous Times"

Thomas D. Lee's debut novel is a timely reminder of the ever-relevant nature of the King Arthur mythos.

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I love me a good Arthurian retelling, and though they're not as common on the ground as they used to be, every so often one comes along that sinks its hooks into you and won’t let go. One such book is Thomas D. Lee’s debut novel Perilous Times. Set in a near future in which the UK–and much of the planet–has become increasingly inhospitable to human life, it focuses on four characters: Kay, King Arthur’s brother and a knight who is repeatedly brought back to life in times of grave danger; Lancelot, also a reborn knight, though one who is far more cynical than Kay; Mariam, a young woman who is determined to save the planet while it can still be saved; and Morgan, the sinister sorceress of Arthurian myth who is much more than she seems. 

The book casts a remarkable spell from the very first page, when Kay first struggles through the dirt and emerges into a world that is startlingly different from (and in shockingly worse shape than) the one he woke to during World War II. However, it’s not long before he’s drawn into the middle of yet another conflict, particularly once he meets the young political revolutionary Mariam, who yearns to do what she can to make the planet livable again. Meanwhile, they face opposition from the recently-awakened Lancelot, who seems to have long ago abandoned his principles, surrendering his agency to the sinister and machiavellian Marlowe (yes, that Marlowe, as in Christopher). 

In Lee’s capable hands, each of these characters comes fully to life, and we even come to care more than a bit for Lancelot. Though he may not be the same sort of selfless hero as Kay, he still has his own complex set of motivations and, far from the womanizer he is usually depicted as, his most enduring relationship is with his fellow knight Galehaut (whose tree has, unfortunately, been cut down). Mariam, likewise, is a fascinating hero precisely because she is sometimes so frustrating. Like so many young people, she often leaps before looks, landing herself in hot water. Yet, as Perilous Times makes clear again and again, this is precisely why such people are often prepared to take up the mantle of leadership and heroism when others have failed.    

Now, it must be said that this book is a bit polemical, in a way that’s far more common in science fiction than fantasy. Lee doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to pointing out how the older generations have pushed the planet to the verge of environmental collapse, all while hoarding resources–including magic–for themselves. The slippery Marlowe is in some ways the face of this cabal, and it’s clear that he, along with his compatriots, have truly made a deal with the devil. They have even gone so far as to try to whisk themselves away to the Otherworld in order to avoid the full consequences of what they’ve unleashed. 

Yet I think there is something brilliant to this approach to the Arthurian legend. Most people probably assume that Arthur’s return would be intended to contend with some sort of military conflict, and while that is true here, too, it’s far more than that. The truly perilous times in which we will soon find ourselves will require great heroism but, as Lee reminds us throughout the novel, figures like Arthur are often more likely to do harm than good when it comes to fixing the wrongs of the past. Even Merlin, who has the ability to see multiple different times at once, ultimately does nothing more than throw his hands up in the air when it becomes clear that nothing can be done to avert catastrophe. This extends to Kay, who comes dangerously close to giving into fatalism thanks to Merlin’s abandonment. 

If nothing else, Perilous Times is a reminder of just how many forms the Arthurian mythos has taken through the generations. Time and again, we see it emerge during times when the world seems to need heroes but, rather than simply buying into the ideology inherent in the myth–that kings are good and that respect for authority is necessary at such times–the novel subverts our expectations. The power to change the future lies not with figures like Arthur, but instead with everyday figures like Mariam. 

What I particularly appreciated about this book was its ability to take all of the things that I love most about the Arthurian mythos and mix it up enough so that it felt fresh and new and exciting. Morgan makes an appearance and even gets a couple of POV chapters (I would have liked to see more of her, to be honest). Nimue is figured here as a lake spirit, which is lovely, and she’s as irreverent as one might expect. And Merlin is as batty and daffy as he is in T.H. White’s The Once and Future King but also as clear-eyed and cynical as he is in Bernard Cornwell’s The Warlord Chronicles.  

Perilous Times is one of those books which is practically begging to be made into a film or TV series, and I can definitely imagine someone like Idris Elba playing Kay (who is explicitly stated to be Black, a timely reminder that sub-Roman Britain was far more racially diverse than today’s shortsighted bigots would like to admit). I daresay that Perilous Times would make for much more engaging television than things like The Winter King, which fall victim to the urge to be medieval but in the most banal and generic fashion possible. Lee, however, instead chooses to show us just how much magic there has always been in the old stories, and how these stories can be used to speak to the present and its concerns. While this might not be to everyone’s liking, I personally celebrate the chance to see Arthur and his compatriots made into more than the static figures that so many would like to see them become. 

I can’t wait to see what Lee has in store for us next!